The Poetry Coffee House is just around the corner. Every year, Seward County Community College has a poetry contest that students, staff and even residents can enter. It is the eighth year that SCCC has held this contest.

For the second year in a row, Poet Laureate of Kansas, Kevin Rabas, will be attending the Poetry Coffee House. Rabas is the contest judge for the Open and Scholarship categories. He will not only be judging, but he will also give a reading. If you can’t make it to the Poetry Coffee house, Rabas will also be presenting at the library at noon.

There are different categories for the poetry contest, so not only can SCCC students submit their work, but other residents can too. In the past years, only residents of 18 years and older could enter the contest, but Janice Northerns mentions that with a few requests from teachers, middle school students are now allowed to submit work into one of the categories- Young Poets.

The great thing about entering the contest is that it’s free. There is no entry charge, but there are cash prizes along with scholarship prizes and other prizes.

Entries are now being accepted. The postmark deadline is Saturday, April 14 and the deadline for emailed and hand-delivered entries is Thursday, April 19. Everyone who enters the Poetry Contest is allowed to submit three pieces of work. All poems should be original work that has not been published before. When submitting a poem, it must be typed.

There are a set of rules that are to be met when entering any of the categories. Each poem must be handed in with a entry form. If a contestant is planning to submit more than one piece of work, each poem must be on a separate sheet of paper. Read all the rules carefully and do each one well for a chance to win.

The categories are Open Category, Scholarship Category and the Young Poets category. The Open Category is open to residents of Seward County or of a bordering county who are at least 18 years old and older.

The Scholarship Category is open to any junior or senior currently enrolled in a public or private high school in Kansas or a state bordering Kansas. Students not planning to attend SCCC can also enter the contest.

The Young Poets category is open to any student currently enrolled in grades six through ten in a public or private school in Kansas or a state bordering Kansas.

Prizes will be given to first, second and third place winners for each category. There will also be honorable mentions. The prizes will be awarded at the Poetry Coffee House on Friday, April 27 in the Student Union, beginning at 7 p.m.

Winners will be notified ahead of time on Tuesday, April 24. First Place Open winner and first and second Place Scholarship winners are required to attend the Poetry Coffee House and read their winning poems. Not doing so will result in forfeiture of the prize.

For more information, or to request an entry form and a complete list of the rules, contact Janice Northerns at 620-417- 1456 or [email protected], or Josh Paulus at 620- 417-1457 or [email protected].